Line 103: “larval” – 1. Of or pertaining to a larva or grub; characteristic of a larva. 2. Of an animal: In the condition of a larva. 3. Pathol. Of a disease: Latent, undeveloped. Also, ‘applied to certain diseases in which the skin of the face is disfigured as if covered by a mask’ (OED).
Line 107: “Tellurian”- 1. adj. Of or pertaining to the earth; earthly, terrestrial. 2. n. An inhabitant of the earth (OED).
Line 109: “Bristle” – Obs. trans. To render the surface of (anything) crisp with heat; to toast, scorch, parch (OED).
Line 110: “Escadrille” – The basic operational unit of the French air force; a French air squadron, especially in the war of 1914–18 (OED).
Line 111: “fledged” – to bring up (a young bird) until its feathers are grown and it is able to fly. Also fig (OED).
“Pleiades” – Astron. In pl. (now usually with the). A prominent open cluster of stars in the constellation Taurus, usually spoken of as seven, though there are several hundred, of which only six are easily visible to the naked eye… According to Greek Mythology, the Pleiades were the seven daughters of Atlas and Pleione. The seven names have been individually applied to the nine brightest stars (OED).
Line 112: “zoom” – 1. To make a continuous low-pitched humming or buzzing sound; to travel or move (as if) with a ‘zooming’ sound; to move at speed, to hurry. Also loosely, to go hastily. 2. Aircraft slang (OED).
“rapid” – Characterized by speed; quick, swift, fast (OED).
“helix” – Anything of a spiral or coiled form, whether in one plane (like a watch-spring), or advancing around an axis (like a corkscrew) (OED).
Line 114: “cavalcade”- 1. A ride, a march or raid on horseback. Obs. 2. A procession on horseback, esp. on a festive or solemn occasion. Also loosely used for a procession of carriages. Arch. or obs (OED).
Line 114: “escapade” – 1. An act of escaping from confinement or restraint; a runaway excursion. 2. A breaking loose from restraint or rules; a flighty piece of conduct (OED).
Line 114: “Cumulus” – 1. A heap, pile; an accumulation, gathering; the conical top of a heaped measure, hence the consummating mass. 2. Meteorol. One of the simple forms of clouds, consisting of rounded masses heaped upon each other and resting on a nearly horizontal base. Frequent in the summer sky, where it often presents the appearance of snowy mountain-masses (OED).
Line 115: “Cirrus” – Meteorol. A form of cloud, generally at a high elevation, presenting the appearance of diverging filaments or wisps, often resembling a curl or lock of hair or wool. Particular varieties are known as cat’s or mare’s tails (OED).
Line 116: “Cetus”– Constellation named after a Greek sea-monster that is visible in the Northern Hemisphere (“NASA/CXC/SAO).
Line 116: “Dirrigible” – Misspelling of dirigible 1. adj. Capable of being directed or guided. 2. A dirigible balloon or airship (OED).
Line 117: “pendulous”- Hanging down, pendent; esp. drooping, sagging. Freq. in Bot. and Zool., e.g. of the ovules, flowers, etc., of plants, and the nests of certain birds (OED).
Line 117: “auroral”- 1. Of or pertaining to the dawn, eastern; fig. of or pertaining to the rise or first period of anything. 2. Like the dawn in colour, brightness, freshness, soft beauty, etc.; dawning, roseate, rosy (OED).
Line 118: “moonferrets”- animal of Crane’s invention.
Line 123: “griffons“- A fabulous animal usually represented as having the head and wings of an eagle and the body and hind quarters of a lion (OED).
Line 124: “conch“- 1. shell-fish: originally a bivalve such as the mussel or oyster; in later times more frequently a large gastropod, esp. Strombus gigas. 2. The shell of a mollusk; esp. the spiral shell of any of the larger gastropods (OED).
Line 126: “anthracite”- The non-bituminous variety of coal called also glance coal, blind coal, and stone coal (OED).
Line 127: “Corsair”- A privateering vessel such as those of the Barbary coast; a pirate-ship sanctioned by the country to which it belongs (OED).
Line 128: “bicarbonated”- Crane used a scientific term out of its usual context here to elevate his language.
Line 129: “levin”- (See line 81 in Powhatan’s Daughter: The Dance) n: Lightning; a flash of lightning; also, any bright light or flame. V: To lighten, emit flashes of light or lightning (OED).
“lance”- a weapon, consisting of a long wooden shaft and an iron or steel head (OED).
Line 132: “Ace”- 1. U.S.slang. A dollar; a one-dollar bill. 2. [After French as.] In the war of 1914–18, an airman who had brought down ten enemy machines; a crack airman (OED).
Line 133: “Sanskrit”- The ancient and sacred language of India, the oldest known member of the Indo-European family, in which the extensive Hindu literature from the Vedas downward is composed (OED).
Line 137: “benediction”- The utterance of a blessing; solemn invocation of blessedness upon a person; devout expression of a wish for the happiness, prosperity, or success of a person or enterprise (OED).
Line 138: “perforated” – 1. Characterized by the presence of a naturally occurring hole or holes. 2. Pierced with a hole or holes; constructed or decorated with holes or perforations (OED).
“fuselage” – The elongated body of an aeroplane, to which the wings and tail unit are attached and which (in modern aircraft) contains the crew and the passengers or cargo (OED).
“escutcheoned” – Heraldry. The shield or shield-shaped surface on which a coat of arms is depicted; also in wider sense, the shield with the armorial bearings; a sculptured or painted representation of this (OED). In this instance it refers to the painted design on planes during WWI to identify their allegiance.
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Line 139: “quittance”- The action of freeing from a debt, obligation, obligatory payment, etc.; release. Also: †the action of freeing from blame, a charge, etc.; acquittal (obs.) (OED).
Line 143: “repercussive” – Of a sound: reverberating, echoing; repeated. Now rare (OED).
Line 146: “gauntlets” – 1. A glove worn as part of mediæval armour, usually made of leather, covered with plates of steel. 2. to cast (out) the gauntlet , to fling out (or down) the gauntlet , to throw (down) the gauntlet: to give a challenge, from the mediaeval custom of throwing down a glove or gauntlet in challenging an opponent (OED).
Line 147-48: “gyring” – revolving, whirling, gyrating; also, encircling, encompassing (OED).
Line 155: “beached” – Of a ship: Driven or dragged up on the beach (OED).